This work delivers vivid images and a structured and illuminating account of a momentous event.
A debut photography book explores a religious festival in Benin.
Landau takes readers on a journey to the African town of Sakete in 2017. Every three years in Sakete, an event takes place among the Yoruba people. For some 16 days, individuals in trances dressed in full-body costumes (no skin is shown to the outside world), who are known as Egungun, make their way around the town. The Egungun have retinues that can range from one to 100 people. Several Egungun dance or are accompanied by drummers and singers. Some Egungun are violent, chasing and whipping bystanders with atoriwhips. Others are peaceful, bestowing blessings or predictions. The book catalogs 130 Egungun with photographs by the author and biographical sketches. For instance, in 2017, Egungun Elègba sported a vibrant yellow and red costume (most of the participants also have pictures from 2011 when many of them looked quite different). This Egungun was “instituted by the sages to invoke the benefits of the deity called Elègba who is appealed to” for protection “against evil spirits that lead men to misunderstandings.” For those unfamiliar with Yoruba or Egungun practices, the book has a great deal to offer. The Egungun costumes are striking. Whether they are brightly colored with images of animals or comparatively drab, they make for a memorable presence. To simply look at the many photos is to see what a bustling event this festival must be. That all of the Egungun have their own personalities and purposes provides further depth to the images. Still, several aspects of the Egungun backgrounds can be lost on the uninitiated. For instance, many backstories involve people consulting the Ifa oracle. How they created “an outfit of the kind recommended by the Ifa oracle” is unclear. Likewise, the author’s personal experiences warranted further elaboration. He mentions leaving the festival early in 2017 for safety reasons (and advises readers to by no means attend the celebration without a chaperone), though the specifics are not mentioned. Nevertheless, the volume provides an engrossing experience.
This work delivers vivid images and a structured and illuminating account of a momentous event.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 599
Publisher: manuscript
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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